Reclaiming Rex
by Mia21
Summary: I wrote this story as what I always see happening when Speed goes to the Thunderhead Raceway that night. My first Speed Racer story, so please be nice.


**Hey everyone! Ok, so this is my first Speed Racer fic. I wrote it several years ago when the movie first came out, it's still what I imagine happening. Please read and tell me what you think!**

 **-Mia21**

* * *

As the Mach 5 lurched to a halt on the Thunderhead Raceway, Speed looked over to see Racer X's car with apparently no Racer X in it.

"X? Racer X?" he shouted, jumping out of the Mach 5. Then he heard the laughter as Racer X climbed out of his car.

"Jesus, kid, you can drive. I haven't been thrown like that in years."

Seeing that X was alright, all the frustration came rushing back to Speed.

"What are you doing here?"

"The inspector told me what happened. I came looking for you.'

"Why would you care?"

"Because you're a fighter, and a friend."

"Why don't you just tell me the truth; you're Rex aren't you?"

Racer X's breath caught, but he tried to sound normal. "You mean your brother."

"You first appeared two years after Rex died, you drive just like him, and you knew I'd be here because this is where he always used to take me. Just tell me the truth!"

 _'It's time,'_ X thought, _'He knows already.'_ Slowly, so slowly, X reached up to pull his mask off. Speed licked his lips, anticipating the moment that his suspicions would be confirmed. And it came. In front of Speed stood Rex Racer, just as Speed remembered him, but he was too shocked to say anything and so for several moments the two brothers simply stared at one another.

"I knew it was you, but why have you stayed away all this time?" Speed asked.

"It was safer for everyone if I stayed dead." Rex told him.

"No more. It's been ten years Rex. Come home."  
"I can't Speed." Rex said, shaking his head.  
"Why not?" Speed wondered.  
"Pops..." Rex began, but trailed off  
"Misses you most of all." Speed told him.  
"Really?" He asked.  
Speed nodded. "Come home."

* * *

Rex finally agreed, and they decided to leave Racer X's car at Thunderhead. Speed drove them both home. When they came in the door, Speed didn't know where everyone was but he heard Pops' voice from the living room. Rex signaled that he would stay by the door while Speed went to go so what Pops wanted.  
"Speed?" Pops asked.  
"Yeah Pops?" Speed asked, walking into their living room.  
"Will you come sit with your old man for a minute? There's something I'd like to tell you. The first thing I want to say Speed, is I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, tried to understand."  
"It's alright Pops-" Speed began, anxious to tell him the news.  
"No, it's not. I didn't want you to go to Cortega because I was afraid that what happened to Rex was going to happen to you. But when I got there I realized that I didn't lose Rex at Cortega, I lost him here, when I let him walk out that night thinking that a stupid motor company meant more to me than he did. My three boys are the best things I've ever done, and I want you and Spritle to know how much I love you." Pops sounded both happy and sad at the same time.  
"We love you too, Pops, all three of us." Speed told him.  
"What...?" Pops asked, confused, thinking that Speed meant him, Spritle, and Spritle's monkey. But Rex came in from the hall.  
"I think he means me."  
"Rex?" Pops asked.  
"Rex!" Mom shouted, popping up from the kitchen along with everyone else.  
"Mom, Pops." Rex acknowledged.  
"You're supposed to be dead." A small voice accused from behind Sparky.  
Rex smiled sheepishly and stared at the little brother he didn't know. "Yes. After I testified against ARCO and he was put in jail all the other drivers wanted me out of the game. So, with the help of the Inspector Detector, the crash was faked, I went undercover, and the whole world thought I was dead."  
"Why didn't you come to us sooner dear?" Mom asked.  
"I was afraid." Rex admitted.  
"Oh Rex." Pops said, brokenhearted for his oldest son. "I love you son."  
"I love you too Pops." Rex said, finally, after ten years, hugging his father.  
"Why come home now?" Trixie asked.  
"You're never going to believe this, but Speed made me." He said with a laugh. Mom, who was closest to Speed, wrapped her arm around him and kissed his forehead.  
"Thank you sweetheart."

Just then, the doorbell sounded. Speed opened their door as Rex stepped back, suddenly nervous of whoever could be there.  
"Horuko." Speed said, stepping slightly back.

"Forgive me for intruding, but I had to come before it was too late. This is not a trick, I swear to you. I'm not my brother." She told them, reassuring all of them.

"I'm very sorry for what happened. What my father and brother did was not right, and I'm ashamed." Horuko told Speed who shrugged.

"It's fine. Just another lesson learned."

Horuko shook her head. "No, it is they who are in need of a lesson. This rightfully belongs to you." She told him, handing him an envelope. Speed opened it, shocked at what he found.

"An invitation to compete in the 91st annual Grand Prix." Speed told those who couldn't see what he had.

"My brother was planning to decline anyway. But I studied the rules very carefully. And as a member of the winning Togokahn Team, if you present this invitation on the day of the race, they must allow you to compete." She explained.

"I…" Speed began, not knowing what to say. Luckily she saved him.

"You don't have to say anything. I only hope you drive as you did in Casa Cristo and you wipe the smiles from their faces." With that Horuko sort of bowed and showed herself out.

"We don't have a car." Pops said, then turned. "Sparky!"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Come on, we got work to do. The race is less than two days away. How fast did Royalton say he could build that tin can with his machines?" Pops wondered.

"Thirty-six hours." Spritle offered.

"Then we'll do it in thirty-two."

"What happened to the Mach 6?" Rex asked.

"Totally destroyed in Fuji." Speed explained.

"Ah." Rex said, nodding.

"You know, I suppose I should offer this to you. You were a member of the Togokahn team too." Speed told his brother.

"No." He said, shaking his head. "I can't. Everyone still thinks I'm dead. This is your time."

They all helped build a new Mach 6, including Rex who couldn't bring himself to give up the family he so recently got back. After working for hours, Pops brought out his secret weapon.

"Sparky? You ready?" Pops asked.

"Ready Pops." He said, nodding.

"Pops, that's a Bernoulli Convergenator." Spritle supplied.

"Transponder schmonder. You want real kick, you go Bernoulli." Pops said. "All right. Let's start her up."

Speed climbed into the driver's seat and turned the car on, stepping on the gas several times. "Sounds beefy, Pops." Speed told him.

"Yeah, I gave it a little something extra." Pops told him, smiling.

"Come on, let's load it up." Spritle requested, eyeing his watch.

Before they could do as Spritle had suggested, Speed had to ask his brother something.

"Will you be there Rex?" Speed asked, feeling like a ten year old again.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it." Rex told him, rubbing his head like he used to. "Just not as myself. Remember, I'm still supposed to be dead."

Unsurprisingly, Royalton tried to make sure Speed couldn't drive in the Grand Prix. Luckily, The Inspector Detector saved them, threatening to shut the Prix down if Royalton refused to stand down. Then the announcement came that Speed Racer would be in the 40th and final position. Speed felt like a kid again, making the sounds of the audience screaming for him. He felt the anger from the other drivers as he left the dressing rooms, but he didn't realize how serious it was until the start of the race, when the car in front of him misfired and he was hit from behind. At that moment, he was done. He knew from then on, he would do whatever it took to make sure he finished this race. What Speed wasn't expecting was Cannonball Taylor using an illegal Spearhook to make sure he didn't finish. But when Speed saw the cameras filming the race from the poles, he made sure to show that Cannonball was cheating. When he felt his car die, Speed was suddenly very worried about finishing the race at all.

"Oh, no, no, no, don't do this!" Speed yelled.

He could hear Sparky through the headset. "The Triple Phase Conductor's fried."

"Sparky, get me back in this race." Speed told him.

"The nickelhydrate cells are hemorrhaging." Sparky said.

"What do I do?" Speed asked, wondering what Sparky would tell him. But Speed suddenly heard a new voice through his headset.

"Don't panic Speedy. Just listen, just listen to her." And Speed was suddenly taken back to when Rex would let him drive at the Thunderhead Raceway, and Rex told him that you had to listen to what your car was saying it needed.

"What do you need?" He asked his car, and let his hand move on its own to the gear shaft. He moved the gear shaft into fifth gear and felt the car jump-start. And with that he was back in it, tearing up the track until there were just two cars between him and the finish. Speed rather easily passed them too, and then he was finishing the 91st annual Grand Prix, having just won first place. He could hear the crowd cheering and screaming as he got out of the Mach 6. Then he was being led toward the stage, his family and Sparky quickly by his side.

"Thank you, Speed." His mom told him. "I love you sweetie. That was so beautiful."

As he was surrounded by photographers and people waiting to speak with him, Speed noticed that someone was missing. He took Trixie aside to kiss her as he'd promised, knowing that somewhere, probably very near, Racer X was watching the younger brother he was now immensely proud of. Speed was so grateful to have Rex back, alive, and he knew his parents felt the same way.

"I'm proud of you son." Pops said, hugging him too. Speed was looking forward to going home and celebrating with his family that night,that was now whole again.


End file.
